Agent Hyde and Agent Strahl had met a year ago, during a training seminar in Little Rock. Things between them had started off on the wrong foot, and the two didn't mesh well for a number of reasons. Hyde had always considered herself a professional; being in this line of work for the better part of a decade meant that she was committed both to her job and to their agency's core values. Strahl was young, and had been recruited from Homeland Security after barely serving with their Intelligence office for more than six months. He was enthusiastic but generally inexperienced, and it showed. He was fast-tracked to be a field agent because of an excellent "on-the-spot interview". Hyde had managed to get her hands on the report filed regarding the incident, and if it went down like the supervising agent had said then, yeah, maybe Strahl had a place in the field after another year or so of training and logistical work. Instead, she found herself partnered up with him which, sure, made sense. Pair him up with a veteran agent to help him keep his head above water, show him the ropes, and make sure he stayed alive. Hyde didn't think that the last part would be so difficult.
It was time for one of her least favorite parts of the job, besides having her partner get snatched up by a winged night-creature. She had to make the dreaded phone call to her handler, to give him the bad news. She hadn't moved from his last location, this was too urgent. There was no telling where that thing had flown off to, and there wasn't much she could do when she was down a partner. Calling it in was the best bet for his survival.
"This is Control speaking," said the cool, calm voice on the other end of her cellphone.
"This is Agent Hyde, identification 26-077-153. I have an agent missing outside the town of Hammer Hill. Agent Thomas Strahl." Her voice was shaky due to the adrenaline and the cold. She still had her pistol clutched in her other hand.
There was a pause before the response came.
"We have you, Agent Hyde. Confirm your last; Agent Strahl is missing?"
"Correct. We made contact with the, uh... our target on a farm near Hammer Hill. Humanoid body, wingspan of about... twelve feet? I didn't manage to get an accurate measurement. It was airborne, spotted Strahl on the ground, and made a move for him. I lost sight of both them for a moment, heard Strahl open fire, and couldn't reacquire the target. I found Strahl's weapon, some of the target's blood, but no sign of either of them."
Another pause, longer this time. Hyde was shifting back and forth to try and keep warm.
"We're shifting priority for this case, Agent Hyde. This is now search and rescue. You're on a tight timetable if what information we have about the target is true. We've dispatched backup, they should be in your area in approximately four hours. Until then, continue searching for the target. Tap local law enforcement if you have to, but don't share any details. Confirm?"
"Confirmed." Hyde hated worked with the locals, but this was an emergency. She supposed she could stand talking to the local PD if it meant saving Strahl.
"Be careful out there, Hyde. Good luck."
The call ended, her phone beeping shortly after with a text alert regarding her backup. Agents Hurowitz and Stuart were on their way. They were probably the two closest that weren't currently tied up with a case. Hyde was grateful for the help; she didn't trust the locals to be of much use.
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